The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1887-08-02

autnouty TO open 1t or not, that poor
boy should not stay there any longer.
she declared, and as every body in
Plumleyville knew that Miss Polyphe-
, mia would have her own way, the con-
stables wife thought she might as well
give her the key.
Barty, sitting deiectedly on one of
the small cots which were the only fur
nfture of the lookup. heard the key
click in the lock and saw with astonish-
ment Miss Polyphemia, painting with
haste, standing before him.
you didn't do itr' she exclaimed.
Il guess l know that" said Barty,
with some temper.
ut was my dog and another dog.
You have good, honest eyes. might
have known You were not a thief.
What is your name, and where do you
livea Bartlett Pilkins? Oh, that's itr'
exclaimed Miss Polyphemia, as if she
had made great discovery. ''And
your fathers name was Bartlett I'll
kins, wasn't it?'
"Yes'm; but he's dead" said Barty.
Miss Polyphemia put her handker-
chief to her eyes; there was something
that felt like tear in corner of one
of them. The truth was that Miss
Polyphemia had once been engaged to
marry Bartlett Pilkins. but she was
considerably older than he. and people
had told her that he only wanted the
property that her father had left her.
and she had dismissed him. Afterward
she had been little sorry, although ne
had never amounted to much" ac-
cording to Plumleyville report, and his
family had come back to Plumleyville
from the West-where he had gone
! when fortune went against him at
home-very poor.
"Your mother has hard time to get
along. don't she?" asked Miss Poly
phemia.
"Yes'm; but she won't when / get
a little bigger" said Barty, conf
IDENTIFY.
There isn't much for boy to do in
Plumleyville; but 1 want an assistant
in my shop. didn't think of having
boy"-here Miss POlyphemia swal.
lowed something in her throat that
seemed very hard. and perhaps it wa:
her prejudice against boys, for that
never appeared again-"but I've taken
fancy to you. and think You would
be faithful, and could get along well
with Lord George-who certainly will
come home if he is alive-and some
day. if l am not disappointed in you. ]
may make you my partner"
Barty wanted TO turn a sOmersault,
and he wanted to throw his arms
around Miss Polyphemia's neck, but
he thought it more prudent to restrain
himself.
perhaps can make amends to you
for accusing You unjustly," continued
Miss Polyphemia, "and for keeping
you shut up here through the Fourth
of July, which must have been hard for
a boy"
at has been pretty tough" said Bar
ty, frankly, ''but felt worst about my
sick brother, Jimmy, who depends up
on me to tell him all about it."
WAS it for him that you wanted the
Roman candle?" asked Miss Polyphe-
mia. well. there are plenty of fire.
works left, and I'll give you all you can
carry. and you have all the evening to
celebrate in now"
And she took him to her shop and
loaded him down with fireworks and
crackers. and torpedOes, and trumpets,
and flags, SO that when he burst into
Jimmy's room he looked like q walking
Fourth of July.
Such a Publication as they had that
night Shoe Lane never saw before.
Lord George returned to his overjoyed
mistress after the noise had subsidized,
with only few cuts upon his nose to
tell of his troubles. He and Barty did
get on famously together. and Miss
Polyphemia has been heard TO declare
that she wouldn't take his weight in
gold for her clerk" although he is a
boy, and she is fully determined to
make him her partner.
As for Jimmy, he has gone to a hos
pital. where he is under the care of a
famous doctor, and the probability is
that by next year he will see aH8f the
Fourth of July.-Harper's Young PeO-
ole.